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How To Catch Thieves That Steal Macs

Mac users rejoice. There are half a dozen Mac apps that will track your stolen Mac so you can get it back. One app is free. One app is easy. One app is open source. What will you do when your Mac is lost or stolen? Add VUWER before the horse leaves the barn.

Track The Mac, Call The Cops

We’ve all read of stories about iPhone users whose phones were lost or stolen and they used Find My iPhone to retrieve it. That’s all well and good but your Mac doesn’t come with built-in GPS.

VUWER is the most simple of all the apps that track your Mac’s whereabouts. Download. Install. Click a few settings. Wait. If all you do is wait, you’re ahead of the game. If you lose your Mac or it’s stolen, VUWER gives you options.

Once installed, VUWER runs in the background and monitors a remote web page or account that you set up. If your Mac is missing, alter a line of code on the remote web page, and when VUWER checks it, it springs into action.

What sort of action?

You can tell VUWER to take snapshots with your Mac’s camera, or send information back to you are regular intervals. If your missing Mac is connected to the internet, VUWER gathers IP address information so you can better track where it is. It won’t call the cops. That’s what you have to do.

VUWER captures information and sends it out using email or, if you’re more experienced, via SCP (secure copy).

Did I mention that VUWER is free. Being an AppleScript app, it also means you can make modifications that may suit your circumstances better.

If your Mac is stolen, will VUWER help you catch the thieves? No. It merely gives a location. Let the cops catch the thieves.